Supreme Court Hearing Video Game Case From California

Geek Out: Should States Regulate Video Game Sales?

California's governor is taking video game retailers to court. Well, sort of. Governor Schwarzenegger has been on a mission to impose a statewide ban on the sale of mature and violent video game sales to minors, and although his case has been deemed unconstitutional in the past, the US Supreme Court has agreed to review the case, and possibly overturn past rulings.

What does this mean for you? Well, if you're over 18, nothing. But if you're a minor, the governor wants to impose a statewide law that prohibits you from purchasing "rated-m" video games and charge retailers $1,000 for every violation of this law, essentially making mature video games equal to buying cigarettes in California. Although I think rated-m games are rated that for a reason — for mature adults only — this has not stopped allowances all over the country from being spent on the latest Grand Theft Auto or God of War title to hit the shelves. Of course, determining who bears the responsibility of keeping the "m" titles out of young hands is the question, isn't it? Is it the responsibility of lawmakers, or parents who set the rules and boundaries for their children? What do you think?

I actually agree with the regulations. After seeing the Rape game and it's popularity I feel that certain games really are sending a dangerous message to the youth of the country.
The only problem I see with this is that how many parents will actually check out a game before buying for their kid. I was at my friends house a few years ago and she was having a knock down drag out with her 14 year old son over the fact that she had taken away a game that he had purchased because of it's content. The problem was that she had taken him to the store to buy it and he couldn't understand why he couldn't have it now. She hadn't checked out the game content first. I told her that she had no one but herself to blame for this as she wouldn't go the store to buy her kid porn so why would she let him buy a game that had been labeled M? This is a person who is very conscious of the things her kids watch on tv and surf on the web, but had never considered how bad these games are. She eventually reimbursed her kid for the game (he has purchased it with his own money), and is much more conscious of it now, but how many parents are not.

I don't necessarily think this is something that NEEDS to be done, but I can't see any reason why it SHOULDN'T. After all, if parents think their kids are mature enough to play these games, they can buy them for them. It won't be impossible for kids to get the games, just a little more difficult, so maybe it'll keep them out of a few kids' hands. *shrug*